The Boogeyman

Chapter 5: Whispers of a Ghost

 It was pouring the rain and the sky was dark and cloudy. What fitting weather for this occasion thought officer Haynes as he walked up to the door and rang the bell. The sound of shuffling came from inside the tiny apartment. A few moments later a small woman opened the door. She was an older lady about five feet tall with thick rimmed glasses and an oversized bathrobe. The officer introduced himself and asked if her name was Maria Lopez. The lady replied yes that's me what's the problem sir? The officer asked to come inside and sit down for a few minutes. Maria made some hot tea and sat at the table. The officer told her he was there about her son. She seemed annoyed at first spurting out what did he do now? He calmly told her that he was deceased and that she would need to go in and identify his remains and pick up some of his personal property. Maria let out an ungodly scream and fell to the floor. She started crying hysterically and grabbed her chest. The officer called an ambulance and tended to her until they arrived. She was taken to a local hospital for chest pain. He walked back to his cruiser and radioed to check if the other two families had been told the news. Once he confirmed that he started back to the office. On his drive though something in his mind told him to drive by the Blackwell property. He thought it over and decided a quick check wouldn't hurt. Around an hour and a half later his cruiser pulled up at the bottom of the driveway. He turned off the engine and sat there in silence. He was positive something was wrong with the place. The more he thought about it the scarier it became. He pictured Somone or something popping out of a bush and jumping at him. Right as this thought crossed his mind his radio went off causing him to jump back in his seat. He gathered himself and radioed back. It was dispatch letting him know that the alarm was triggered for the ole Blackwell place. He sat there stunned and a little frightened. He told her he was close and would check it out. After giving himself a pep talk, he walked up the driveway gun unholstered. As he got on the porch, he realized the front door was ajar. He carefully pushed the door with his foot and stepped inside. The house was so quiet it made him uncomfortable. He walked around the main rooms downstairs and was almost certain that no one was inside. At least not someone who was alive. As his boots touched the first step leading upstairs, he felt a chill go down his spine. He raised his foot to go to the next step when he heard something. It sounded like weird laughing. He nervously called out and asked who was there. Then it sounded like Somone or something was full force running at him. The footsteps grew louder and louder and he took of outside. Once he was in the driveway, he looked up still trying to catch his breath. And what he was took what little breath he had away. A dark shadowy figure was peering around the door all at once it slammed shut. He ran to his car and took off like a maniac. He had to stop down the road to throw up, his hole body was still shaking from fear. He had been an officer for ten years and had seen more bloody gory things than anyone could ever imagine. But he had never been so filled with fear, so terrified he almost passed out. One thing was for sure he was never going back there again. A short time later he made it back to the office and calmed down enough to get some paperwork done. After his shift ended, he drove to the hospital to check on maria. She was eating some Jello when he arrived. He sat by her bed and chatted with her for nearly an hour before leaving. Turns out she just had a severe panic attack and would be going home in the morning. He went home and crawled into bed. The next day around nine o clock maria was released and went straight to the coroner's office. He walked her downstairs to the morgue and pulled out one of the metal slabs. He unzipped the body bag and flipped it open. She grabbed him when she saw his face. That was her Michael. She asked him about the cause of death but he wasn't legally aloud to share that with her. He did tell her to go home and figure out his funeral arrangements. She was absolutely devastated; her heart was broken her only child was gone. Once she got home, she called the rest of the family and shared the news. Her sister came over to spend some time with her and talk about everything. They sat there for hours going through every possibility they could come up with. Anna's family was doing the same and unfortunately so was Beck's. It was a tragedy for everyone involved. The next few days were nothing but tears and sadness. A week later the officer returned to maria's home with an update. He explained mike's cause of death and also shared that Mike's girlfriend Anna was deceased and so was one of their friends Beck. Both had been murdered by her son. Maria couldn't believe it she even told the officer that it must be a mistake. He assured her it was no mistake but sadly the truth. She immediately called her sister and told her. She couldn't understand it either. Her gut feeling told her he didn't do it by his own free will. She thought something or someone made him do it. She kept this to herself for now. The next day she made the plan for him to be cremated. She couldn't pay for a funeral and didn't really want to attend one anyway. Anna's family got together with Beck's and decided on a burial only. Both families just wanted to try and grieve and move on with their lives. The burials were completed the following day and maria would receive her son's urn in a few weeks. The police could never really determine why Michael did it. The way the two friends described it he was possessed by the devil. Clearly, they couldn't put that in the final reports though. So instead, they simply left it as unknown. That bothered Maria more than anything. She wanted answers and didn't know how to get them. That was until she got a call asking if she was interested in taking over her son's former home. After taking a day or so to really think on it she agreed to be the caretaker. With the help of some family, she moved into the home at the end of the week. The family wasn't so happy about it though, they didn't think anyone needed to be in that place. And secretly she agreed with them, she didn't really want to be there either, but she was hopeful it would help her get some answers. She had something in one of the boxes she thought might help. A spirit board. After everyone had left that afternoon, she placed the board on the table and lit some candles. She asked questions for a while and nothing happened, so she got up to make a drink. The planchet started to move on its own. It started spelling out the word hello. She asked it what its name was. it started to move again but this time stopped on the s and just stayed there. Confused she asked one more time and it moved to the letters ATAN. She gasped and knocked the board onto the floor. It spelt out Satan right in front of her. That was enough for maria to go straight to bed. Oddly enough she slept well that night. The next morning, she took the board and tossed it out the door and made a pot of coffee. After drinking her weight in caffeine, her work started packing up her son's stuff. After filing up four boxes she stepped out for a breath of fresh air. She stayed out there for a few more minutes and the door closed on her. More boxes later and it was time for lunch and then finally bed. That night there were footsteps in the hall and on the staircase, and people talking. The next day she called her sister and told her the strange things that had been happening. They agreed that the house must be haunted. So, she sat out to find someone to help her with her ghosts. And as luck would have it while out in town the next morning, she came across a little shop. It was called Witchy Wonders. There was a sign on the window about a psychic. Her thought was maybe this woman could help. The doorbell chimed as she stepped inside. She walked over to the counter and asked the lady about the sign. The lady informed her that readings were ten dollars per person. She instructed Maria to go through the curtain and sit down. As she pulled back the curtain and beads, there was a woman in dark clothing sitting quietly looking at the cards on the table. She walked over to the small chair and took a seat. Before she could even speak, the woman looked up and introduced herself as Annabelle. Maria introduced herself and began telling her about the experiences in the home. Maria then asked about home visits. She said yes and told Maria to go home and prepare. Slipping across the table a list of things to buy to help try to appease the dead. Items such as Sage and candles and religious photos and crosses. Maria did some shopping and got home late that night. She placed crosses in the worst feeling rooms and lit the sage and filled the house with it. A few prayers were even said. She went to bed that night feeling hopeful that things would calm down. Her sleep was peaceful until about three in the morning. She awoke to a soft humming and a chair scooting. Her gut told her not to investigate the sounds. She fumbled with the blankets and was back asleep in no time. The next day her body was achy, so she decided to just sit and read. A hot cup of tea and some biscuits paired nicely with a good book. She sat there peacefully and read until the doorbell rang. Once the door was opened no one was there. She went back to reading and never heard the door again. About five thirty she decided to go and take a long shower. Afterwards her sister called, and they stayed on the phone for a bit then she decided to work on a photo album for a little while. Once she had done five or six pages she decided to go out for a walk. Her goal was to walk about a block before bed. Most of the neighbors were already asleep. The night air was cool and crisp and felt good blowing through her hair. The moon was full and bright and for once she felt calm and peaceful. Soon she finished her walk and got home and was fast asleep. The next day around twelve Annabelle showed up. She asked maria not to give her much information she wanted to feel things out naturally. She started in the living room and made her way through out the bottom floor. Next, she went upstairs and then finally the basement. She told maria the house harbored a lot of energy none that was particularly good. She recommended a cleansing spell. Hopeful that it may push the energies from the house. Maria was thankful Annabelle wanted to help. She left and promised to return in a few days to complete the cleansing. Meanwhile things continued to get worse in the house. So much so that she left and spent three days in a motel. Her sister urged her to put the house up for sell. As much as she wanted to do just that it wasn't an option. Her son's spirit could still be trapped there, once she felt he was free she would leave permanently.